Lyles, Alfred and Pathirage Deliver Standout Performances in Rome
Olympic champion Noah Lyles produced a season-leading 9.88 seconds to headline a memorable night at the 2026 Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome, the fourth stop of the Wanda Diamond League series. The meeting featured four world-leading performances, highlighted by Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage breaking the 90-metre barrier in the javelin with a national record of 92.62m, Emma Zapletalova’s world-leading 52.58 in the women’s 400m hurdles, and Trey Cunningham’s meeting record of 12.98 in the men’s 110m hurdles. Italian fans also celebrated home victories from Andy Diaz Hernandez, Leonardo Fabbri and Matteo Sioli in front of a packed crowd at the Stadio Olimpico.
Men’s 100 metres:
Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles snatched the win in the men’s 100 metres in 9.88 in the final race of the Golden Gala. Emmanuel Eseme from Cameroon placed second in a national record of 9.94 edging Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo (9.95), Jordan Anthony (9.96) and Marcell Jacobs (9.99).
Noah Lyles: ”I had a great finish. I can go again. Who want's to go? I was having a great block session yesterday. I showed it today. This season might be different but it doesn't mean the goal is different. I am not showing anywhere to lose. I am here to win. 10m before the finish line I knew the race was over and I had already won it. I was thinking about how I was going to celebrate it.”
Men’s javelin throw:
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage improved his own world lead and national record to 92.62m becoming the first athlete in the world to break the 90 metres this year. Pathirage produced a second best throw of 84.49m in the first round in his only other valid attempt. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada threw to 83.91m in the fifth round to finish second ahead of last year’s world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson (83.89m). Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago took fourth place with 83.45m.
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage: ”I tried my best today to throw the national record. I managed to improve it by 30cm. Even though I had only two valid attempts today, I am very stable mentally. It was very hot in Rabat and the weather in Rome feels good to throw further than at the last competition. Winning today feels like a Sri Lankan festival”.
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Trey Cunningham stormed to a win in the 110 metres hurdles dipping under the 13 seconds barrier for the first time in his career with 12.98. Cunningham broke Allen Johnson’s meeting record which had stood since 1999. Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett placed second in 13.31 edging Enrique Llopis (13.32).
Trey Cunningham: ”This was a long time coming. I hoped to run this last year. Beating the meeting record of Allen Johnson, who is all-time great, set 27 years ago, is special. He was one of the legends of the event. I am very excited for the World Ultimate Championships. It's going to be 16 fastest people and only one winner. We don't get to race a lot so I will enjoy it. The motto this year is to enjoy what is happening right now. I had struggles with my travels, my luggage got lost. But I am always ready."
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
World bronze medallist Emma Zapletalova claimed a back-to-back Diamond League win in the women’s 400 metres hurdles in a world lead and national record of 52.58 following her win in Rabat in 52.82. Zapletalova moved to third on the European all-time list. Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell finished second in a seasonal best of 52.77 ahead of Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton (53.14) and Dalilah Muhammad (53.39), Gianna Woodruff (53.58) and Jasmine Jones (53.92).
Emma Zapletalova: “It has been the crazy start of the season. I didn't think I would be able to start my season with two national records. It's amazing, I am enjoying it a lot. My focus this season is the European Championships. I want to improve my personal bests. There weren't any changes in training for indoors and for outdoors. Sometimes we improvised because of knee issues. Transition from indoor to outdoors was a bit challenging for me and that's why this results surprised me. I want to improve again, and again and again. The pressure mostly comes from myself.”
Women’s 200 metres:
Olympic 100 metres champion Julien Alfred won the women’s 200 metres in 21.93 (+1.3 m/s) beating 100m and 200m world champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden, who clocked 22.17 on her seasonal debut. Anavia Battle finished third in 22.39 ahead of British sprinters Amy Hunt (22.52) and Dina Asher Smith (22.76).
Julien Alfred: ”Win is a win. I wanted to go a bit faster but I will take the win. I am healthy and that's important too. I am a lot stronger now that I was used to be and that's why I could push a bit extra in the second part of the race. I expected the pressure from Melissa. I am kind of satisfied with this Diamond League win, but still I wished to run faster.”
Women’s 400 metres:
European under 23 champion Henriette Jaeger from Norway won the women’s 400 metres in a seasonal best of 49.60. World indoor champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel from Czechia finished second in 49.77 in her season opener improving her PB by 70 hundredths of a second. Nickisha Pryce from Jamaica and Aaliyah Butler dipped under the 50 seconds barrier with 49.80 and 49.83. Amber Anning took fifth place with 50.19.
Henriette Jaeger: “My next race will be in Oslo, I am looking forward to it, it will be great. In Stockholm they do not have the 400m. I am really happy about this race, coming so close to my PB. I am hoping to get a new PB this summer. The recipe for a PB is to stay focused and be patient, find motivation and stay in your lane, stick to your plan. My shape is really good, I feel very good. Running in this stadium is amazing, the last time I ran here was at the European championships in 2024.”
Women’s pole vault:
Double world indoor champion Molly Caudery from Great Britain won the women’s pole vault with 4.80m beating Olympic champion Nina Kennedy and European champion Angelica Moser on countback. Caudery, Kennedy and Moser cleared 4.70m at the first time of asking.
Tina Sutej from Slovenia needed three attempts to clear this height. Caudery and Kennedy cleared 4.80m on their first attempt. Moser needed two attempts to clear this height. Sutej made three unsuccessful attempts at 4.80m. Sandi Morris cleared 4.60m on her first attempt but she failed three times at 4.70m.
Caudery passed at 4.85m, as Kennedy and Moser failed to go clear this height.
Molly Caudery: “I am great. I am very happy with today. I had a short approach with 10 steps. I had a great indoor season and sometimes you need to take a deep breath, it is a journey. I think it was a smart move to skip 4.80 because I just came back from Rabat, there was a bit of a risk and I wanted to take it easy, not to pressure my body. Having home championships and doing the Diamond League is super important for me. It is fabulous to attire the crowd. I am taking everything in here, also the youth 12x200m relay."
Men’s shot put:
Leonardo Fabbri, Diamond League winner in Brussels 2024, won for the second time in his career at the Golden Gala with 22.14m on his third attempt in the venue where he won the European title in 2024. Fabbri claimed the fourth Diamond League win of his career. Last year’s Diamond League champion Joe Kovacs took second place with 21.87m ahead of three-time Olympic gold medallist and meeting record holder Ryan Crouser (21.50m) and Tom Walsh (21.49m).
Men’s 800 metres:
French record holder Gabriel Tual won the men’s 800 metres in 1:43.66 on the track where he won the European gold medal in 2024. Mark English finished second in 1:43.80 confirming his good shape following his win in Keqiao. Francesco Pernici placed third setting the second fastest time of his career with 1:43.97. Peyton Craig from Australia finished fourth in 1:44.01 ahead of world 1500m champion Isaac Nader from Portugal (1:44.28) and 2023 European under 23 champion Yanis Meziane (1:44.29).
Gabriel Tual: ”The recipe for today was not to go too fast on the first lap and then try to finish strong and that´s what I did. I am quite proud. I hope to get a better score in my next race in Stockholm. Running again in the stadium means a lot to me. I won the European 800m title here in 2024. I was hoping this would give me some good strength and it did! I want to defend my title in Birmingham, but it is going to be tough.”
Men’s triple jump:
Two-time world indoor champion and three-time Diamond League winner Andy Diaz Hernandez from Italy won the men’s triple jump for the third time in his career at the Golden Gala with 17.59m in the fifth round in front of his home fans. Diaz backed up this result with 17.58m in the second round.
Jordan Scott from Jamaica leapt to 17.33m in the sixth round to take the second place. His compatriot Jaydon Hibbert took third place with 17.02m.
Andy Diaz Hernandez: “This was my first competition of the outdoor season and I am very satisfied. I am feeling great. Winning the Diamond League in Rome three times in a row - I really made history. I got so much energy from the audience. I would have liked to jump further but hopefully I will be able to do so at my next competition in Oslo.”
Women’s 1500 metres:
World indoor champion Georgia Hunter Bell from Great Britain won the women’s 1500 metres in 3:58.63. Klaudia Kazimerska from Poland placed second in 3:59.24 edging out USA’s Nikki Hiltz (3:59.26). Agathe Guillemot from France placed fourth in 4:00.46 ahead of Patricia Silva from Portugal (4:00.86) and Ludovica Cavalli from Italy (4:01.64 PB).
Women’s 5000 metres:
The top nine athletes set their PBs in a great women’s 5000 metres in a race where Ethiopia took the top seven positions. Likina Amebaw from Ethiopia won her first Diamond League race in a world leading time of 14:18.41 ahead of her compatriots Aleshign Baweke (14:18.54), Freweyni Hailu (14:18.94), Senayet Getachew (14:22.37), Medina Eisa (14:22.51), Hirut Meshesha (14:22.56) and Fantaye Belayneh (14:23.44). Nadia Battocletti finished 13th in 14:44.05 but her preparation was slowed by a bout of flu in the past weeks.
Likina Amebaw: ”I am very happy to win my first Diamond League meeting. Oh, I did not know that I ran such a time. The people here in the stadium are very good, they helped a lot. I work very hard, also for the sprint. For the moment I run the 5k, maybe in the future I will also race 10k.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Megan Simmonds stormed to the second Diamond League win of her career in the women’s 100 metres hurdles in a seasonal best of 12.50. Former world record holder Kendra Harrison finished second in 12.54 ahead of Nadine Visser (12.58). Marione Fourie from South Africa finished fourth in 12.59 ahead of Danielle Williams and Pia Skrzyszowska, who clocked the same time of 12.69.
Megan Simmonds: “It is quite a good result. I wanted to run faster but the season is long so we are taking it step by step and day by day. This is for everybody who have told you that you could not do it and who didn't believe in you. You need to believe in yourself. This season is for my fans. Always when I step to the start line I think I have ten opportunities to do well and show what I am capable of. This is who I am. Early in my career, the surroundings took me away from who I am but going to Tokyo last, training in a fantastic group, I came back to who I am. I am excited and I am winning races. There is no a better feeling. I am living a dream right now.”
Men’s long jump:
Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece leapt to 8.24m on his sixth attempt to take the lead, but Bulgarian rising star Bozhidar Saraboyoukov jumped2 cm further on the competition’s final attempt. Saraboyuokov celebrated with a double backflip. Jorge Hodelin from Cuba took third place with 8.18m. ”
Bozhidar Saraboykov: “I am extremely happy because I have won my first Diamond League meeting but I am not pleased with my result. The crowd was great and probably that motivated me to jump the furthest in the last attempt. My goal for this season is to set a personal best and a national record. I want to show the best version of myself."
Men’s high jump:
Twenty-year-old Italian rising star Matteo Sioli, European under 23 champion, cleared 2.28m on his second attempt to win the men’s high jump. Italian athletes won three events in great night for local fans in the Rome Olympic Stadium. World indoor silver medallist Erick Portillo took second place with 2.23m beating Romaine Beckford on countback.
Matteo Sioli: “I am very happy to be here. I am very happyto win in this stadium. It is a big honour, a big pleasure for me and so I am very happy. Gianmarco Tamberi is an idol and I work a lot to be like him. I know it is very difficult, but I improve myself to be like him. Since Florence Diamond League 2023 I dreamt of such an evening. It is an incredible night for me. I think tonight I will not sleep. I do not know what made me jump so well, but I think I can jump better. Today it was just 2.28, so let´s stay down to earth. Having this home crowd, having my friends here in the stadium, it is crazy. The Italian fans are crazy. They helped me a lot, high jumps fans in the curva sud (south curve) helped so much. My next goal is to jump well in Doha. We are ready for it”.
